Dog's are man's best friend,diamonds are girl's.Being a nomad traveller,I would anyday exchange Diamonds with a place,however small it may be.One such Jewel in the hills is Kasauli.Kasauli is where the man's best friend is my best hike mate.Do dogs trek?Do dogs hike?We know dogs bark for sure.We read the sensational and notorious dog bites everyday in our local Bangalore newspaper.But ain't they cute otherwise?Gear for more doggy days ahead while I take you though lanes and bylanes of Kasauli

Why Kasauli?

1)Delhi was unbearably hot as usual,and Kasauli was cold.
2)Kasauli also because last time when I was there,I preferred sleeping in my cosy little hotel.This time it was the time to explore,discover and have some fun.

How To Reach?

The Road Journeys are always more fun,what do you think?

By Train:The closest rail head is Kalka, which is about 40 km away from Kasauli. Prepaid taxis costs about Rs 750 from Kalka to Kasauli. Kalka is very well connected with all major cities in India like Amritsar, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

By Air:The closest airport is at Chandigarh, which is 70 km away. Taxis are available to Kasauli from Chandigarh costing about Rs 1,500.

By Bus:State owned transport buses connect Kasauli to many cities in and around Himachal Pradesh. Super fast and super deluxe buses have stop at Kasauli, which are plying from Chandigarh and Delhi to other major cities in the state.

What To Do Kalka - Kasauli?

Giani Da Dhaba is a cool and famous stopover for the yummy paranthas onroad and yummy "Lemon Chicken".When in Kalka do not forget to visit the Kalkaji Mandir,a famous shrine which is visited by crores of people everywhere.

Kasauli-The Eco Friendly Place

Kasauli is one the most eco-friendly town in India;do not forget to check the billboards with "being green" quotes.It's litter free,garbage free and perfectly walkable.

Kasauli is one of the most eco friendly town in India.A place where a path leads to trail and a trail leads to a beautiful unknown.A place which is clean and green,an ideal example of how every place in India should be.There are boards everywhere in Kasauli with go green slogans and even the dustbins are painted green.As Kasauli is an Army Cantt Town,there is a vehicle entry fee of Rs 25-65 per vehicle.It's good in a way,you can walk at your own pace and enjoy without the beeps and the honks.Except the monkey point last parking point where the vehicles are flooded.For a place as small as Kasauli what's so great about exploring it by car!We walked and walked as long as we could,bearing in mind the dog we had.

Kasauli What To See

Lower Mall Road, Kasauli : Every hill station in India has a mall road,Kasauli has two:Lower Mall and Upper Mall road.A stretch of barely half a km,the LM road has many grocery shops,cloth shops,tibetan stalls and a few restaurants.If you have been to Dalhousie before,the kind of flee markets we have there are similar to te ones we have in Kasauli.

The Upper Mall Road and Lower Mall Road are Kasauli's lifeline

I am so crazy about shopping,that I can totally survive on it,for most people it's the food they need,for me it's the daily or a weekly dose of shopping.I got myself a wrap around skirt,a very interesting piece I never found anywhere in India except Kasauli. There were many skirts of all length and patterns,costly as little as Rs 180-200.

If confused what to bring back,buy the wrap around skirts or funky Tibetan Tees,which are cheap and comfy

Treat yourself with funky tees with funny messages,at the Lower Mall Road.There were also shops selling tibetan jewellery and footwear,but as per my previous shopping experience,Leh is more affordable for tibetan artifacts.

We took a stroll down the road,fully soaked in the atmosphere that was as pleasant as it could get.Sometimes it was raining,sometimes it was foggy but we were too reluctant to go back.At the LM road,it's best yo hold your stuff tight to not lose them to monkeys as there are so many.Oh well!!!I have a monkey story to tell.A Dog and a Monkey,I've already turned myself into a mini zoo courtsey Kasauli.

When taking a walk,means passing through thick sweet fog

Upper Mall Road , Kasauli: I said Malls are synonymous with shopping at Hill Stations,Upper Mall road is an exception.Upper Mall Road is where we have attractive view points,like Sunrise Point,Usman Path,Gilbert Trail and Lover's Lane.Lover's lane sounds so hush hush.Upper Mall road is highly recommended to those who love hiking in nature,all the trails are interesting visual retreat.Upper Mall Road was where we met our dog buddy,who was with us,for today and tommorow and walked,trekked and hiked with us.

Direction Dial : Sunset Point,In clear weather,the cities down as written are visible from top!

There are no shops in the UM road,so before you start walking,it's best to have your breakfast,lunch at the LM road.The best time to hike in the Upper Mall Road is early morning till noon,as after the noon time,an envelope of thick fog starts forming and stays for next 2-3 hours.It gets dark quite late in Kasauli like around 7-7:30 pm